Meal Planning Monday ~ Spring Cleaning

The weather has been awesome lately here in the Cincinnati area – 50, even 60, degrees in January and February? I’ll take it! I caught a bit of spring fever this past week. I cleaned out a few closets and organized my stockpile. It’s a good idea to organize and rotate your stockpile items (especially the food items) every few months just to make sure there’s nothing expired. If you’re planning on doing some Spring Cleaning in the next few weeks, add this item to your list! If you happen to find some items that are close to expiring, you can work those into your weekly meal plan. You can make organizing your stockpile less of a chore by making sure that you put your newly purchased items towards the back of your shelves and moving the older items forward.

While going through my stockpile, I realized I have enough canned tomatoes to feed a small army! I thought I’d find a few recipes to try this week to use up my surplus of tomatoes. Here’s what my meal plan looks like this week.

Monday ~ Leftover Night. My husband is driving to St. Louis for the day so he won’t be home for dinner.

Tuesday ~ Chili and cornbread. I’ll make an extra batch of chili to freeze for another meal later in the month.

Wednesday ~ Crockpot Chicken Caccitore. I’m trying this recipe again, the first time it didn’t turn out quite right and I’m not sure why.

Thursday ~ Chicken Enchiladas.

Friday ~ Date Night! My husband and I are trying to go on at least two dates a month.

Sunday ~ Broccoli and Cheddar Soup. I froze some last week so I’m hoping it will be just as good the second time around.

Mexican Lasagna

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 (14 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes with juice

10 (6 inch) corn tortillas

1 cup prepared salsa

1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, and stir in the taco seasoning and tomatoes. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with half the tortillas. Spoon the beef mixture into the dish, then top with the remaining tortillas. Spread salsa over the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.